MTN launches new social bundles, including 10GB data for R120

Data prices are finally starting to fall at most telco’s in South Africa. Earlier this month, Vodacom announced price reductions on data bundles and now MTN is joining the party. The big yellow giant has unveiled new social bundles, making the cost of data drastically cheaper for mobile money customers.

MTN is calling it the new “MoMo” social bundles, which allows customers to use their mobile money cash balances to buy one of five bundles, starting at R8. The new social bundles are priced as follows:

R8 for 500MB, valid for 24 hours

R15 for 1GB, valid for 3 days

R60 for 5GB, valid for 7 days

R120 for 10GB, valid for 30 days

R10 for 100 on-network voice minutes, valid for 24 hours

These bundles are designed for customers to access social networking platforms. With MoMo bundles customers can use the data on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, WhatsApp and Twitter. “Data used to access other platforms will be drawn from the user’s other available data,” said the operator.

MTN will also be waiving the standard fees levied for mobile money cash-ins done via EFT, card or cash payments into their MoMo accounts. It will be applicable for a period of six months, or as long as COVID-19 restrictions apple, said MTN.

From mid-April MTN will also drop data prices for its 30-day bundles by up to 50% after pressure from the Competition Commission.

In a statement, Felix Kamenga, chief officer of MTN SA’s mobile financial services unit, said: “The introduction of these social bundles is a game changer as these are the most competitive social media data deals ever introduced by MTN. We believed that it was necessary to look to solutions to help South Africans during a time when many are uncertain about the future resulting from the unprecedented economic disruptions caused by Covid-19.”